What Night May Hide
by LieutenantX
Summary: Proud to be a Logan/Kitty fic'. A new mutant appears, and threatens Kitty more than she may know. This comes just as Logan is understanding his feelings for the girl. Can
1. Default Chapter

Disclaimer: I don't own X-Men, X-Men Evolution or any of their assorted comics, serieses or appearances in video games (Marvel vs. Capcom rocks!)  
  
Late nights at the gas station were always tedious. Jack stood behind the counter, smoking a cigar that he hid behind the counter every time as a car pulled up. The driver quickly walked past the knife rack, chip rack, and coolers and set about pouring a big gulp of some unknown soft drink. He paid for it and left. Jack went back to smoking his cigar. As it shortened, he turned around to get another from the carton he had opened. Standing up again, he noticed one of the knives was on the floor. After lighting his cigar he walked over to set it right again and tripped. He slammed hard on the tile floor, crying out as his chin slammed and he felt something give. Through blurred eyes, he saw the knife float up by itself, open (It was a nice Buck knife), and press on the back of his neck. Then, he saw the most amazing thing. Vapors seemed to swirl around him. Space distorted itself, and solidified into a teenager. He had shoulder length black hair, like John Travolta, except it was wholly behind his shoulders. His eyes were deep green, like a forest, and one hand held the knife to the back of Jack's throat.  
  
"Get up." The boy said. Jack did as he was told, and the boy flipped the knife around into the normal position.  
  
"Now, I'm sure you've been through this before. Get the money out of the register and give it to me."  
  
This was actually Jack's first day (or night), but again he did as he was told. The boy pocketed the money and closed the knife, handing it to Jack. Then he turned his back. Jack took this moment to open the knife. Then, time and space bent again and the boy disappeared. Jack stabbed wildly at pen and empty air, but the door to the station had already opened and closed of it's own accord. 


	2. Chapter 2

It was a dream that seemed to flash from dream to nightmare in an instant, and one is never fully sure if things are good or bad. Kitty dreamt that she was in danger, terrible danger, and an enormous beast threatened to swallow her. She saw an endless shadow that she was suspended above, feeling like a skydiver with no parachute. She fell towards it and, for no reason, looked back and saw a figure falling after her. It seemed to be reaching for her, calling her name. She reached back and felt all would be all right, and then just as the strangers' hands grasped hers, she looked around and saw only the inside of the beast's gaping jaws, beginning to close...  
  
Kitty snapped up with a yelp from the dream. She was in bed, the clock radio said seven, and she heard Kurt walking down the hallway humming a Beetles song in German. He seemed to enjoy singing mostly anything in German. He knocked on her door and said cheerily,  
  
"Cahm on, Keehty. Today ees waffles!"  
  
Kurt also seemed to enjoy waffles. The good cheer every Wednesday morning was enough to suffocate the entire institute. Kurt continued down the hallway, picking up the song as if it had continued playing and he'd merely joined in again. Kitty changed. As she walked out the door, she walked past Kurt, who had been hung from the wall after attempting to wake up Evan. Kitty politely removed the spike from the collar of his jacket.  
  
"Thanks, Keehty." Kurt said, following her silently.  
  
Logan awoke, slowly, one of the few times he's awaken without feeling hate, rage, confusion or the calm serenity that his lone wolf behavior. He had dreamt as well that night. He had dreamt of Kitty. He didn't know why, or how, or when it had started, all he knew was that there was some new feeling towards her. He felt nervous, uneasy, as if his senses were telling him something, but he didn't know what. He was confused. This new sensation was like digging for buried treasure. He felt something good would come of it, but all he had to show at the moment was a big hole. He swung his legs over the side of the bed and rubbed his head. As he thought and contemplated, the feeling only grew. Logan roared and pounded his fist on the bed table, breaking off a chunk of wood and causing the lamp to upset and fall to the floor.  
  
"WHAT IS THIS I'M FEELING?"  
  
The boy stood over the small town of Bayville. He read the name clearly from the water tower. Popping his neck, he contemplated where he could find them. The ones who he thought would accept him. He used any means necessary to get here, and was ready to begin the training he'd heard of. He remembered seeing the man's face in a pawn shop window, on TV next to the words 'Mutant Acadamy'. It didn't take long to find the location. Silently hitch hiking across the country, he'd finally come here. Now, to find them. The dark-haired boy walked down into the valley.  
  
Lance also had a nightmare. He stood alone at the top of a hill, a gash running across his cheek. Looking down on the town of Bayville, Lance knew he'd been in a fight. He just didn't know how or why. Then, he turned around as fear swept him, seeing nothing but foliage and an empty space, but he still felt tense for almost no reason. He took a step back, losing his footing. He waved his arms, trying to balance, but he felt his balance shift past the point of no return. He fell screaming into the darkness.  
  
And then Lance awoke. The nightmare immediately erased itself from his memory like most dreams do. He recalled fear, and that was it. Looking around at his room, he sighed. He pulled his jeans and a shirt on, then opened the door to the hallway. The Brotherhood's hideout was, in fact, a normal house. There was the minor fact that it was waterlogged, swelled in the rain, and threatened to collapse in a gentle breeze. Nothing was clean. The electricity had to be turned off every time it rained (AUTHOR'S NOTE: Shameless Fight Club reference!), and the running water was almost mud, forcing Lance to brush his teeth and shower at school. A hole in between the first and second floors was outlined in blue tape. Pietro and Blob had rigged a fireman's pole through it. Lance had always wanted one of those. He knocked on the door to the grungy bathroom. "Hey, just a minute, man!" Pietro yelled. Lance sighed and leaned on the wall in the groove his shoulders had made in the damp plaster over a few months. The smell of Pop Tarts didn't waft up through the hole, but he knew that was what they were having. What a crap hole. But it was home. Pietro exited the bathroom and Lance entered.  
  
TO BE CONTINUED...  
  
Next Chapter: A day at school, and the dark-haired boy meets our heroes! 


	3. Chapter 3

After breakfast, Logan left to work on his motorcycle, which had the strange effect of clearing his head. It was one of the few things that he could let loose and take pleasure in doing, trying to adjust the shocks, engine, and other things he couldn't even pronounce into milking every last bit of performance and speed out of the vehicle. Scott, Jean, Kurt, Kitty, et cetera piled into Scott's car as they headed towards Bayville high. Logan had already managed to get a goodly amount of grime on his hands. His eyes unconsciously followed Kitty as she crossed the garage. He swiftly averted them as Kurt glanced over his shoulder, but not before Nightcrawler realized: He ees staring at Keehty. The reason vhy didn't occur to him (Of course, it hadn't occurred to Logan, either). Kurt discarded the thought from his mind as Scott turned the radio up and screeched down the driveway.  
  
Once at his locker, Lance popped his knuckles before grabbing his books, throwing a look at his poster, and slamming it. He turned around and nearly walked into Pietro. Pietro grabbed his arm (which brought a "Hey!" out of Lance) and dragged him off towards a deserted bank of lockers, then glanced around hurriedly. Whispering, he pointed towards a kid. "Hey, Lance, you see that guy?" Lance nodded.  
  
"The one that looks kind of like a goth."  
"But not quite, yeah."  
"What, you want to hook him up with Rogue?"  
"Shut up! He's new."  
"And?"  
"Let's introduce him to Bayville high."  
"Brotherhood style?"  
"Brotherhood style."  
"I've got Bio next with Tolansky."  
  
"Algebra with Blob."  
  
"The Blob in Algebra?"  
"We'll meet up at lunch."  
  
"Deal."  
The two split up and went their separate ways, while visions of an unconscious loser danced in their heads.  
  
The dark-haired boy strode down the hallways of Bayville high, looking for a something conspicuous. He knew that the students at the mutant academy were high schoolers that lived in Bayville, but that was all. He didn't know what else to expect. He may just walk around the corner and bump into a guy who was a six-foot tall lizard. Or maybe someone who can stick to walls and sense approaching danger. Heck, a sixteen-ton green-skinned gorilla with poor grammar might mug him. He walked the halls silently. He noted a cute girl talking to a guy. He thought he saw something strange about the guy, though. Something in how he moved. They were outside an open locker. The dark-haired boy approached them. They turned and looked at him strangely.  
  
"Hello." He said, extending his hand to the boy. The girl took it, but before she did, the dark-haired boy noticed a look flash between them as they decided what to do.  
  
"Hi. I'm Kitty."  
"Kitty, yes. I'm, eh," he winced as he tried think "I'm new here. I saw you guys talking and decided, well, why not make a friend."  
  
"Ehkscuse me!"  
"Or two. Anyway..." the boy-trailed off as he saw the (Presumably German, by his accent) boy turn and reach for something in his locker. He focused on the other boy's hand. It was definitely abnormal. His fingers moved strangely. They acted as if in pairs, the first two, last two, and thumb. Kitty and the abnormal boy noticed him staring. The dark-haired boy coughed and walked away. Kurt and Kitty watched him go. He passed behind another student, and then seemed to disappear. They glanced at each other with looks of concern.  
  
"This, like, has major bad-day potential."  
  
"Tehll me about it."  
  
At lunch, Lance, Tolanski, Pietro, and the Blob all sat huddled at one table.  
  
"Okay, man, where's this guy you told us about?" Toad asked looking around.  
  
"I really hate bein' kept waiting, y'know?"  
  
Pietro looked around, looking for the dark-haired boy. He spotted the guy, sitting at a table near the geek squad, alone, eating a sandwich. He pointed out their target. The brotherhood `council-o-war' broke up and moseyed over to the boy's table. Lance sat next to the boy on one side, Pietro on the other. Toad perched himself square on the center of the table, and the Blob simple filled the entire area behind it. The boy calmly continued eating.  
  
"Hey. I noticed your new." Lance said, with a smile on his face. Normally someone tried to hide his or her fear. He knew he was about to get that sandwich rectally, but of course he was a `tough-guy', someone who broke at the last second. Always. Pietro put his arm around the dark-haired boy.  
"We wanted to introduce ourselves. We're the-"  
Pietro didn't finish. The boy put his fist through the chattering mutant's face.  
  
"Don't touch me."  
With that, the boy disappeared. Avalanche, Toad, and the Blob all converged on the same space. The Blob managed to smash the table, as well a Lance and Tolansky. This brought on laughs from everyone around him. Avalanche managed to wriggle his way halfway from beneath the dog pile. He propped himself up on one elbow and pounded the ground with his other hand. The shoes of the cafeteria monitor very quickly filled his field of vision. All four members of the brotherhood let out a groan.  
  
A good distance away, the dark-haired boy couldn't help but chuckle as he popped the last bite of sandwich into his mouth and licked his fingers. This was the town. Mutants, mutants everywhere and not a clue where he should start. He decided to catch the abnormal boy after school. He'd have to stay `un-see' as he called it the rest of the day, which was not a problem. He turned and walked towards the schools front doors to wait.  
  
To quote a friend: Damn my ignorance and stunning good looks! As well as a copious tendency towards use of typos.  
  
The dark-haired boy jumped slightly as the bell rang. He'd sat on a bench by the school's front door, transparent, waiting for the abnormal kid. And maybe Kitty. All day. Unable to make a noise. The boredom was terrible. He stood as he saw his target walk past and walked into the crowd of students. He only cared about not squarely slamming into someone. Shoulder jostling never ceased in a crowd like this. He waited until he was in front of the abnormal kid, and mentally let go. It goes beyond my powers of description to say what it feels like to go from reality to ghost-like transparency. It doesn't really matter. What matters is that Kurt walked squarely into the dark-haired boy, rudely awakening the fuzzball from a daydream (about Kitty, of course. She fascinated him).  
  
"Hello."  
"Vat is eet now?"  
"Take me two your leader."  
"Vatever." Kurt said, trying to blow past the dark-haired boy, who promptly seized Kurt's throat with one hand. He felt fur. Something was definitely wrong with this guy.  
"Xavier. Now. Schnell."  
  
The institute had received a new student, David. He tended to wear a beige T-shirt with a red stripe around the chest, and baggy tan pants. His semi-bowl cut and glasses left the other students making comments about a blonde Willy Watt. He didn't mind. David, or Botanic to the other X-Men, loved plants. He stayed outside for hours at a time working in his garden, which was comparatively bare to the one he'd had at home. He'd fix that quickly. After preparing a plot of earth, he placed a single seed from his packet in it. He watered the spot carefully, and then got down on both knees before the mound, ankles crossed. He closed his eyes, looking something like a monk in prayer. He began to concentrate. Slowly, he knew, the seed would sprout open. Roots shot down towards the nutrients in the earth, and soon afterwards a shoot of green went upwards. The stem sprouted leaves, thorns, and a final bud on the end. He opened his eyes to watch, now that the hardest part was over. His  
concentration lessened, but did not falter. In a few seconds, the bud opened, revealing white petals. As David's concentration broke, his body expelled whatever power it held, and the grass around him became greener. Nearby, the institute's great oak trees creaked as they experienced a sudden spurt of growth. He looked at life around him and laughed happily, like a child of six instead of fourteen. Jean had watched all of this with amazement. She hadn't been introduced to this boy, yet. She approached him curiously, and upon spotting her, tried to compose himself.  
  
"Who are you?" she asked.  
  
"I'm David." He replied, then, after picking the rose and extending it to her, he added sheepishly:  
"I make things grow."  
  
TO BE CONTINUED... 


	4. Chapter 4

What Night May Hide  
  
The dark-haired boy sat before professor Xavier, the crippled man in no way losing any of his presence as a result of his condition. He commanded every inch of his office, causing the boy to withdraw even more, his face hardening into an even greater mask of indifference.  
  
"Well, I suppose you should begin by telling me your name."  
  
The boy was silent for a moment, then replied.  
  
"Van."  
  
"Very well then, Van. Why have you come here?"  
  
"Because I had nowhere else to go."  
  
"What do you mean by that?"  
  
"I would rather not say in such company."  
  
He shifted his eyes in Logan's direction. The man sat on a couch, scowling, his arms folded. He had already had a confrontation with the boy earlier:  
  
"HELP! Somebody, help me!"  
  
Nightcrawler tore across the Academy grounds as fast as his legs would carry him. Dashing up the stairs to the mansion, he reached for the front door. It opened for him, and he crashed into Evan. Kurt crashed back down the stairs. "Hey, what's the rush!?" Kurt flipped back to his feet and hopped nervously from foot to foot.  
  
"Killer goth! Back zhere! Bad mojo! Now let me through!" "Where?" Replied Evan, "I don't see any..."  
  
"Zhat's the point!"  
  
Kurt bamfed out of his current location, and reappeared behind Evan with a puff of smoke.  
  
"You can go ahead and velcome him! I'm outta' here!" Kurt dashed up the stairs and out of sight. Scott scratched his head.  
  
"Crazy elf. HEY!"  
  
He was shoved against the doorframe by an invisible force.  
  
"Out of my way." An equally invisible voice ordered. Evan looked down at the Oriental rug that dominated to foyer. Two indentations in the shag disappeared and reappeared across it. They looked somewhat like feet. Then the space above them, in some indescribable way, twisted and rippled as the dark-haired boy returned to view. He looked about the room.  
  
"So, this is it. The Xavier institute."  
  
Evan turned towards the newcomer.  
  
"Who are you?" One hand clenched to a fist, spikes sprouting along the forearm.  
  
"The new kid."  
  
"Get out!" The dark-haired boy shrugged. "You're no fun." In the blink of an eye, the boy disappeared. A flurry of spikes flew through the space he had occupied a moment before. They stuck into the far wall, quivering. He sprouted more across both arms, looking for the boy.  
  
"Come on! Show your face!"  
  
The invisible voice sighed.  
  
"You really have a lot of aggression. Do you take any medication?" A punch knocked Evan backwards, his nose spurting blood.  
  
"Now, could you tell me where Xavier is?"  
  
"You're gonna' pay for that!" Spikes bristled from across Evan's body. Then, they launched, covering the entire foyer. There was a moment of silence. Logan chose this moment to walk into view, standing at the top of the stairs. He surveyed the scene.  
  
"Kid, you've got to learn some control." He said, shaking his head. He began to descend the stairs, absently knocking spikes out of his way. Halfway down, He felt... something... sniffed the air. He scowled, then spun around and snatched the dark-haired boy from thin air, slamming him against the wall. One fist went up on his chin, two claws framing his face.  
  
"All right, kid. You've got some explaining to do."  
  
Logan reflected on this, as he stood outside Xavier's office. Kitty passed.  
  
"Hi, Mr. Logan."  
  
He stiffened. For some reason unknown to him, blood rushed to his face, and all he could manage was a stuttering, slightly less gruff than usual 'hello'.  
  
"So after the death of your mother, you used your powers to travel here."  
  
"Yes."  
  
"That is a tragic story, however, not an uncommon one."  
  
Xavier's chair whirred as it moved out from behind his desk.  
  
"Van Lee, I accept your application. Welcome to the Charles Xavier Institute."  
  
For the first time in months, Van smiled.  
  
David's room. Plants dominated it, a chemistry set bubbling away in one corner. Dozens of flowers, grasses, and vines crisscrossed the walls and ceiling, creating a delicate organic latticework. Botanic himself sat in front of his set, carefully extracting an enzyme from a flower bulb. "Okay, now for the incision. Careful... careful..."  
  
The door flew open. "David!"  
  
"YIPE!" His penknife and his flower bulb both flew into the air, revolving end over end. He made a grab for the bulb, leaning back... back...  
  
"Gotcha!"  
  
His chair lost it's grip on the floor.  
  
WHUMP!  
  
He raised the bulb into the air.  
  
"I got it." He said, wearily. Kitty giggled. His penknife stuck itself into the desktop neatly. "It's time for dinner, you klutz."  
  
"Right. Dinner."  
  
He sighed.  
  
"Hey, why is there an extra place set?" Asked Scott as they each took their seats. "Mutants, I want you to welcome our newest student. His name is Van Lee." Xavier sat at the head of the table. The door to the dining hall opened, and the dark-haired boy entered. Kurt sputtered and nearly dropped his fork, tossing it back and forth in an effort to get it under control. He swiftly abandoned it and made a run for the far door. The utensil clattered to the floor. Not looking up, Logan grabbed the elf's tail. "Relax." He ordered. "No vhay! He's psycho!"  
  
"Please, calm down, Kurt, he means no harm." Xavier said. "Ja, you haven't seen him! He's..."  
  
"Sit down." Logan ordered. Kurt groaned and resumed his seat. "Now, I expect you all to forgive him for his past actions, and try and accept him as best you can. Van, sit down." The boy nodded and sat between Kurt, who stiffened, his tail twitching like a nervous cat's, and Kitty. He calmly and wordlessly began to serve himself. Conversations sprang up along the table, and the evening proceeded as normal. Scott watched Van from across the table, his sunglasses masking his wandering eyes. They didn't know anything about this kid. Who was he? Where was he from? Did he have a family? "Hey, Evan, pass the bread." David said from across the table.  
  
"I thought you were a vegetarian."  
  
Scott laughed with the rest of them. David held his head in his hands and muttered. "So, Van," Kitty elbowed him. "Where are you from?"  
  
The boy thought for a moment. "Nevada." "Really?" "Mmm-hmm." "And how old are you?"  
  
"Fifteen."  
  
"No, wait. You know vhat you need?" Kurt was beginning to warm up to the guy. "What?" "A mutant name! Ve've all got Them!"  
  
"A mutant name?" "Ja!" "Yeah!" Kitty chimed in.  
  
"Like what?" Van was puzzled.  
  
"Well, I'm Evan, right?"  
  
Van nodded.  
  
"But they call me Spike, too."  
  
Van's expression began to show understanding as he remembered where the name had come from. He hadn't told anyone, but a long scratch had been torn across his side by one of Evan's little javelins. "So it's related to your mutant power..."  
  
Van thought for a moment.  
  
"All right. Zero."  
  
From the Journal of Charles Xavier: Although he seems to be working well with the other students, something is wrong with our newest student, Van. Although I will not probe his mind without his consent, he seems to be hiding something. He has done nothing so far to make himself untrustworthy, so I will believe him. However, he does seem to have the aura of a guilty conscience. I will have to do further investigation into the matter. As all else goes, things are normal, although Logan's behavior is also a bit odd, however, that does not merit an investigation.  
  
Kitty Pryde's Diary: (AUTHOR'S NOTE: Mmm. Kitty's Diary.) We just totally got a new student! He's not really all that nice, though, because when he got here, he tricked Evan into completely trashing the front hall. But I guess that's just life here. We get all kinds of people, and I think all he really needs is to settle in. At least he's a little cute. Now, I've kind of been talking about this a bit much for the past few days, but Mr. Logan. Yeah. I didn't get to talk to-  
  
"HEY!"  
  
Kitty was no longer alone in the kitchen. She slammed the laptop shut. Kurt laughed and disappeared. She grumbled and stormed out, trying to find somewhere more private.  
  
JessieHeart: You're sick! You made it Logan/Kitty, and you're reading her diary! *Smacks LX*  
  
LX: What? OUCH! I have every right! I'm the author, you hellspawn!  
  
JessieHeart: *Smacks him again* No you don't! LX: Ow! 


	5. Chapter 5

What Night May Hide, Chapter 5  
  
I feel like writing Gambit in. I think I will.  
  
Remy snored loudly as he stretched out on the couch. He had stretched his coat over himself as a blanket. It was raining. Before going to sleep, he had placed pots underneath the various leaks and turned the electricity off. The house was as much a dump as ever. The door slammed loudly. The whole building shook. "I don't believe this!" Lance bellowed from the foyer. His threw his backpack in a fit of rage. It flew through the living room, over Gambit, and crashed against a far wall.  
  
The Cajun stirred and sat up to look at the storming mutant, his coat sliding down off his chest to the level of his waist.  
  
"What now?" He muttered.  
  
He sighed.  
  
"Condamner, you are so easily aggravated. You should learn to control your temper." Avalanche stomped into the living room and gripped the back of the couch, staring at friend. "That... that... punk... blue..."  
  
"Oh. That again." Gambit flopped back down and closed his eyes.  
  
Pietro and the remainder of the brotherhood entered the house a bit more calmly. "Lance? Buddy?"  
  
Lance was too busy steaming to reply. "Oui, he's in here!" Remy yelled, sitting up and swinging his legs onto the floor. He was obviously not going to get any sleep. He stood and dusted himself off, pulling on his jacket. "Perhaps I will go for a walk until I can be assured he won't bring the roof down around our ears." Toad dropped onto the couch Remy had vacated a moment before.  
  
"Yeah, Lance. You really ought to learn to control your anger, yo." Lance was still fuming. Remy sighed as he walked out of the house. "So, tell us, what happened?" Pietro asked.  
  
"Kurt."  
  
"What, the blue boy?"  
  
Attention students of Bayville High! Prom is next week! Guys ask girls, semi-formal attire! Don't be caught without a date! -Bayville High Student Council  
  
Earlier that day, Lance and Kurt had argued. They had run into each other in the halls.  
  
"Excuse me." Lance mumbled.  
  
"Ja. Sorry." Kurt rubbed his head. Run into each other was probably the best description, yes. "Oh, scheist. I lost her."  
  
"Lost who?" Kurt finally noticed who he had run into. "Oh, ah, no one."  
  
"Who?"  
  
"Really, you wouldn't care?" Lance stood up. He looked back and caught a glimpse of Kitty between the students.  
  
"What were you going to ask Kitty about."  
  
Kurt looked away.  
  
"Um, well, you see..."  
  
A light bulb went off in Lance's head. He grabbed Nightcrawler by his shirt collar and slammed him against a wall. All business, he put his face uncomfortably close to Kurt's.  
  
"Tell me."  
  
"Well,"  
  
Kurt began to speak incomprehensibly fast.  
  
"IfyoureallymustknowIwasaskingKittytothedancebutI'msureyouwouldn'tcareabouts omethinglikezatsoifyoupleaseI'llbeleavingnowgutentag!" BAMF! "That little..."  
  
Lance took off through the crowd.  
  
Kurt bamfed inside the cafeteria.  
  
"Whew. That was close. Now, where could she have gone?"  
  
"Out of my way!"  
  
"Geez, chill man." A student yelled at him as he forced his way through a knot of friends.  
  
"Emergency." "Whatever!"  
  
BAMF! "Nope. Not here." The gym was empty, actually.  
  
BAMF!  
  
There she was, up ahead! Lance slid past an opening door, shifting past a teacher, sliding around other students, and began to close the distance between himself and Kitty. He had to ask her now, before Little Boy Blue beat him to it.  
  
BAMF!  
  
"Not here either!"  
  
"Young man, what do you think you are doing in my classroom?!"  
  
"Sorry miss, no time!"  
  
BAMF!  
  
"Kitty!"  
  
She looked over her shoulder.  
  
"Oh, hey Lance!"  
  
He caught up with her, finally.  
  
"So, what's up?" He asked.  
  
"Nothing. We've got new students at the institute."  
  
"That's nice. Hey, uh, about the dance..."  
  
BAMF!  
  
"Keehty!"  
  
"Kitty!"  
  
They both grabbed one of her arms and babbled in unison. "You've got to go to the dance with me! Just look at this loser!"  
  
They split for a moment, each using the hand not latched onto Kitty to point at the other.  
  
"He can't even spell idiot!"  
  
"He's a freak of nature!"  
  
Then they again babbled in unison.  
  
"So you've really got to go with me please please please!" Kitty stared at both boys. There was an awkward silence as her eyes went from Kurt (Smiling with every bit of charm he could muster) To Lance (Glaring daggers at Kurt) to Kurt again (Now glaring daggers at Lance) to Lance (Now smiling with every bit of charm he could muster). Then, she put one hand over her mouth and giggled. She turned around and ran away, still giggling. Both boys watched her go, jaws down. Lance slowly turned to Kurt. Kurt slowly looked at Lance.  
  
The sheer amount of malice and hatred in their glares can only be adequately described in a language much more descriptive and explicit than English.  
  
"Uh, Logan?" The Institute was adjusting to the new students. They were adjusting to the institute. David had arrived only a few days before Van, and all the students had to adjust to seeing a boy appear from nowhere and having to prune the Institute's trees more often as a result of David's lack of control. Logan kept walking, barely acknowledging Scott. "What?" Scott hurried to catch up. "Well, eh..."  
  
Logan stopped. Something was embarrassing Cyclops, but what? Scott was usually never embarrassed about anything, always blunt and to the point.  
  
"Well, we, the other mutants have been talking."  
  
His confidence was returning. Good. He was starting to pester Logan. "We wanted to know why you've been acting so strange."  
  
Wolverine's heart dropped into his boots.  
  
"What?" Scott swallowed. He silently cursed drawing straws and whoever invented it. "Well, there's just been something... well, off about you for the last few weeks."  
  
"There's nothin'!" Logan yelled and stormed off.  
  
'Tensions are mounting. Something is going to happen soon, I think.' Gambit walked in the rain, approaching the Xavier institute. The sun was setting, and not a soul was anywhere to be seen.  
  
"So, Van, you've come back into the light. I had been wondering where you had gone, and I think that it's best you're with friends. But still."  
  
He easily vaulted the fence.  
  
'Perhaps it is best to meet again, no?'  
  
"C'mon, Van! Be a pal!" Van laughed as he headed back to his room, pushing Evan away. The mutants were celebrating, exactly what they weren't sure. Scott and Jean laughed together. Kurt snapped an easily misunderstood photo of Evan and Zero. They chased him for a moment before he bamfed away. Van shook his head and ducked into his room, flicking on the light. The first thing he noticed was a chill. The window was open. He closed it.  
  
"Little one." He recognized that voice. From far away, the earliest of memories...  
  
"Ah, Your garçon es adorablé." "What?" "Remy, you have to speak English."  
  
"Sorry. He's an adorable child. Is that better, ma'am?" "You can call me Mother if you want, Remy."  
  
"Non, thank you. I will eventually." He had been held by strong arms, held close to a warm body. Not that of Father or Mother, another...  
  
"Remy!"  
  
"Well, we meet again, little brother." He turned around.  
  
"It's been a very long time."  
  
"Fourteen years. I thought you might want to see me.  
  
There was a long silence as they looked at the changes in each other.  
  
"He's dead, you know." Said Van. Remy nodded. He hadn't seen his father in a long time, and his stepmother never had concerned him. He had left New Orleans before he'd had a chance to really know her. Van had still been a little boy. He had heard, a few days ago, of a new mutant joining the X-Men. One whose powers to remove himself from others' perception paralleled his father's letters about their son disappearing into thin air at times. They began to talk, catch up on the times.  
  
Professor Xavier wheeled down the hallway, heading for his own bedroom. He sensed the consciousnesses of his students, all preparing to retire for the evening. He passed Kurt's room, Scott's room, David's room, and Van's... He stopped. There were two people in Van's room. He reached out with his senses. Van, and another. He tried to place the mental pattern... Gambit! The Brotherhood! 'Jean, Scott, Ororo. Come to Van's room, immediately.'  
  
"Merde."  
  
"What?" asked Van.  
  
"They know I'm here."  
  
He ruffled Van's hair.  
  
"It was nice to see you again. I have to leave." "Good-bye!"  
  
"I'll drop by again sometime."  
  
Gambit dropped back out the same window from which he had entered. A knock came at his door.  
  
"Van!"  
  
It was Scott.  
  
"Van, is everything all right in there?" Van walked across the room and opened the door. "Yeah, everything's fine."  
  
David watched this from down the hallway, poking his head out the door to his room. He looked out the window, watching Gambit dart between the trees. So, Gambit and Van had some sort of association. David shrugged and sat down at his chemistry set again. He drained the fluidal discharge of a stem into a beaker, then dropped in a root that bubbled away once it hit the concoction, changing the shade to a brown. David began measuring the next element for his experiment. All in all, he was the stunning image of a mad scientist, concocting some strange potion.  
  
It was actually a miracle he hadn't blown himself sky-high yet. One of his abilities was the power to manipulate plant DNA and mutate it however he pleased. He exploited this to give his concoctions everything they needed. However, a large number of the mutations he devised were highly volatile. No matter what they were supposed to do, everything he made was always in danger of bursting into flames. He had lost eyebrows once or twice. He remembered that incident and muttered to himself.  
  
"A true scientist is never put down by poor results."  
  
The particular incident had involved his beaker shooting green flames five feet high. It had happened shortly before he'd come to the institute, and his room at home still smelled like dead fish.  
  
"Kitty..."  
  
Logan's hands were sweating. He couldn't focus. He couldn't think. He lay in bed, looking at the ceiling. "What... what am I feeling?" As far as he could remember, he'd never felt this, from his birth, through the war, through everything, he'd never felt this. An emotion pulling at him, telling him that he had to do something completely irrational. He wanted to... he wanted to protect Kitty. He wanted to keep her safe from everything, any harm. He wanted to be a kind of knight to her. He wanted her to come to him with her troubles, and to cry on his shoulder when she was sad. He wanted to see her laugh, and hold her close... always. That was it. That was what this feeling was.  
  
From the diary of Kitty Pryde:  
  
Dear Diary,  
  
I don't get it. Mr. Logan is kind of gruff sometimes, but I think he's a really sweet guy. There are times when I think that I should go with what everyone thinks. Maybe I should be Lance's girlfriend. That's what everyone wants, right? Or Kurt, maybe. But I keep thinking about Logan. Why? I don't get it. I keep thinking about the times he's saved me, about us fighting together, how right it felt. I can't feel that near anyone else, and I feel... I feel this need to help him. His past has been so bad, and I just can't stand to see him face all the things ahead of him on his own. I don't know how to describe it, or even if I can. I just... I just need time to think.  
  
Yours,  
Kitty  
  
"You're going down, Alvers!"  
  
"Yeah, right, Maximoff! Let's see you try!"  
  
"Bring it on!"  
  
Remy threw his cards on the table. "Gin. Now shut up." The rest of the brotherhood groaned and threw their cards down. "How can he win thirty-six times in a row?" Toad groaned.  
  
"It's impossible!" Lance joined in. Remy shook his head, gathered up the cards, and reshuffled. 


End file.
